Fluid detector and coupler thereof

Abstract

A fluid detector includes a coupler. The coupler includes a hollow tube, an optical fiber, and a jacket. A fluid delivery device includes a fluid output end and a fluid recovery end. The fluid output end is connected to a first input end of the hollow tube. The fluid recovery end is connected to a first output end of the hollow tube. An optical signal generator inputs an optical signal to a second input end of the optical fiber. A detection module includes an optical sensor, a database, and a processor. The optical sensor detects the optical signal outputted by the second output end and generates a sensing datum. The processor is electrically connected to the optical sensor and the database. The processor compares a characteristic value of the sensing datum with characteristic values of sample data stored in the database and generates a detection data.

1 . A fluid detector comprising:
 a coupler including a hollow tube, an optical fiber, and a jacket, with the hollow tube including a first input end and a first output end, with a hollow passage defined between the first input end and the first output end, with the optical fiber including a second input end and a second output end, with a solid passage defined between the second input end and the second output end, with the hollow tube and the optical fiber enveloped in the jacket, and with a side of an outer periphery of the hollow tube intimately abutting a side of an outer periphery of the optical fiber;   a fluid delivery device including a fluid output end and a fluid recovery end, with the fluid output end connected to the first input end of the hollow tube, and with the fluid recovery end connected to the first output end of the hollow tube;   an optical signal generator connected to the second input end of the optical fiber, with the optical signal generator adapted to input an optical signal to the second input end of the optical fiber; and   a detection module including an optical sensor, a database, and a processor, with the optical sensor connected to the second output end of the optical fiber, with the optical sensor detecting the optical signal outputted by the second output end and generating a sensing datum, with the database adapted to store a plurality of sample data, with the processor electrically connected to the optical sensor and the database, with the processor adapted to compare a characteristic value of the sensing datum with characteristic values of the plurality of sample data and adapted to generate a detection data;   with the coupler further including an auxiliary hollow tube, with the auxiliary hollow tube including a first auxiliary input end and a first auxiliary output end, with an auxiliary hollow passage formed between the first auxiliary input end and the first auxiliary output end with the auxiliary hollow tube, the hollow tube, and the optical fiber enveloped in the jacket, and with a side of an outer periphery of the auxiliary hollow tube intimately abutting another side of the outer periphery of the optical fiber;   with the coupler further including an auxiliary optical fiber, with the auxiliary optical fiber including a second auxiliary input end and a second auxiliary output end, with an auxiliary solid passage formed between the second auxiliary input end and the second auxiliary output end, with the auxiliary optical fiber, the hollow tube, and the optical fiber enveloped in the jacket, and with a side of an outer periphery of the auxiliary optical fiber intimately abutting another side of the outer periphery of the hollow tube;   with the hollow tube and the optical fiber mutually abutting with each other by a first coupling section length, with the auxiliary hollow tube and the optical fiber mutually abutting with each other by a second coupling section length, and with the first and second coupling section lengths being different from each other;   with the hollow tube and the auxiliary optical fiber mutually abutting with each other by a third coupling section length, and with the first and third coupling section lengths being different from each other;   with the hollow tube having a hollow tube refractive index change, with the auxiliary hollow tube having an auxiliary hollow tube refractive index change, with the optical fiber having an optical fiber refractive index change, with a first difference existing between the hollow tube refractive index change and the optical fiber refractive index change, with a second difference existing between the auxiliary hollow tube refractive index change and the optical fiber refractive index change, and with the first and second differences being different from each other;   with the auxiliary optical fiber having an auxiliary optical fiber refractive index change, with a third difference existing between the hollow tube refractive index change and the auxiliary optical fiber refractive index change, and with the first and third differences being different from each other.   
     
     
         2 . The fluid detector as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the sensing datum and the plurality of sample data include wavelength spectrum data containing energy change in a particular wavelength range. 
     
     
         3 . The fluid detector as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein each of the characteristic value of the sensing datum and the characteristic values of the plurality of sample data is a coupling wavelength having lowest energy in the particular wavelength range. 
     
     
         4 . The fluid detector as claimed in  claim 1 , with the fluid delivery device including a pump and a tank having a first end and a second end, with the tank adapted to store a fluid to be detected, with the pump including a first end forming the fluid output end and a second end connected to the first end of the tank, with the pump adapted to pump the fluid stored in the tank, and with the second end of the tank forming the fluid recovery end. 
     
     
         5 . The fluid detector as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the hollow tube, the optical fiber, and the jacket are made of a same material. 
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . The fluid detector as claimed in  claim 1 , with the fluid delivery device further including an auxiliary fluid output end and an auxiliary fluid recovery end, with the auxiliary fluid output end connected to the first auxiliary input end of the auxiliary hollow tube, and with the auxiliary fluid recovery end connected to the first auxiliary output end of the auxiliary hollow tube. 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . The fluid detector as claimed in  claim 1 , with the auxiliary optical fiber, the auxiliary hollow tube, the hollow tube, and the optical fiber enveloped in the jacket. 
     
     
         10 . The fluid detector as claimed in  claim 1 , with the optical signal generator connected to the second auxiliary input end of the auxiliary optical fiber, with the optical signal generator adapted to input an auxiliary optical signal towards the second auxiliary input end, with the optical sensor connected to the second auxiliary output end of the auxiliary optical fiber, and with the optical sensor adapted to sense the auxiliary optical signal outputted by the second auxiliary output end and adapted to generate an auxiliary sensing datum. 
     
     
         11 . The fluid detector as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the hollow tube has a radius different from a radius of the optical fiber. 
     
     
         12 . The fluid detector as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the hollow tube has a radius different from a radius of the optical fiber, and wherein the auxiliary hollow tube has a radius different from the radius of the optical fiber. 
     
     
         13 . The fluid detector as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the radius of the auxiliary hollow tube is different from the radius of the hollow tube. 
     
     
         14 . The fluid detector as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the optical fiber has a radius different from a radius of the hollow tube, and wherein the auxiliary optical fiber has a radius different from the radius of the hollow tube. 
     
     
         15 . The fluid detector as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the radius of the auxiliary optical fiber is different from the radius of the optical fiber. 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . The fluid detector as claimed in  claim 9 , with the auxiliary hollow tube and the auxiliary optical fiber mutually abutting with each other by a fourth coupling section length, and with the first, second, third, and fourth coupling section lengths being different from one another. 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The fluid detector as claimed in  claim 9 , with a fourth difference existing between the auxiliary hollow tube refractive index change and the auxiliary optical fiber refractive index change and with the first, second, third, and fourth differences being different from one another. 
     
     
         22 . A coupler comprising:
 a hollow tube including a first input end and a first output end, with a hollow passage defined between the first input end and the first output end;   an optical fiber including a second input end and a second output end, with a solid passage defined between the second input end and the second output end; and   a jacket, with the hollow tube and the optical fiber enveloped in the jacket, and with a side of an outer periphery of the hollow tube intimately abutting a side of an outer periphery of the optical fiber;   with the coupler further including an auxiliary hollow tube, with the auxiliary hollow tube including a first auxiliary input end and a first auxiliary output end, with an auxiliary hollow passage formed between the first auxiliary input end and the first auxiliary output end, with the auxiliary hollow tube, the hollow tube, and the optical fiber enveloped in the jacket, and with a side of an outer periphery of the auxiliary hollow tube intimately abutting another side of the outer periphery of the optical fiber;   with the coupler further including an auxiliary optical fiber, with the auxiliary optical fiber including a second auxiliary input end and a second auxiliary output end, with an auxiliary solid passage formed between the second auxiliary input end and the second auxiliary output end, with the auxiliary optical fiber, the hollow tube, and the optical fiber enveloped in the jacket, and with a side of an outer periphery of the auxiliary optical fiber intimately abutting another side of the outer periphery of the hollow tube;   with the hollow tube and the optical fiber mutually abutting with each other by a first coupling section length, with the auxiliary hollow tube and the optical fiber mutually abutting with each other by a second coupling section length, and with the first and second coupling section lengths being different from each other;   with the hollow tube and the auxiliary optical fiber mutually abutting with each other by a third coupling section length, and with the first and third coupling section lengths being different from each other;   with the hollow tube having a hollow tube refractive index change, with the auxiliary hollow tube having an auxiliary hollow tube refractive index change, with the optical fiber having an optical fiber refractive index change, with a first difference existing between the hollow tube refractive index change and the optical fiber refractive index change, with a second difference existing between the auxiliary hollow tube refractive index change and the optical fiber refractive index change, and with the first and second differences being different from each other;   with the auxiliary optical fiber having an auxiliary optical fiber refractive index change, with a third difference existing between the hollow tube refractive index change and the auxiliary optical fiber refractive index change, and with the first and third differences being different from each other.   
     
     
         23 . The coupler as claimed in  claim 22 , wherein the hollow tube, the optical fiber, and the jacket are made of a same material. 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . The coupler as claimed in  claim 22 , with the auxiliary optical fiber, the auxiliary hollow tube, the hollow tube, and the optical fiber enveloped in the jacket. 
     
     
         27 . The coupler as claimed in  claim 22 , wherein the hollow tube has a radius different from a radius of the optical fiber. 
     
     
         28 . The coupler as claimed in  claim 22 , wherein the hollow tube has a radius different from a radius of the optical fiber, and wherein the auxiliary hollow tube has a radius different from the radius of the optical fiber. 
     
     
         29 . The coupler as claimed in  claim 28 , wherein the radius of the auxiliary hollow tube is different from the radius of the hollow tube. 
     
     
         30 . The coupler as claimed in  claim 22 , wherein the optical fiber has a radius different from a radius of the hollow tube, and wherein the auxiliary optical fiber has a radius different from the radius of the hollow tube. 
     
     
         31 . The coupler as claimed in  claim 30 , wherein the radius of the auxiliary optical fiber is different from the radius of the optical fiber. 
     
     
         32 . (canceled) 
     
     
         33 . (canceled) 
     
     
         34 . The coupler as claimed in  claim 26 , with the auxiliary hollow tube and the auxiliary optical fiber mutually abutting with each other by a fourth coupling section length, and with the first, second, third, and fourth coupling section lengths being different from one another. 
     
     
         35 . (canceled) 
     
     
         36 . (canceled) 
     
     
         37 . The coupler as claimed in  claim 26 , with a fourth difference existing between the auxiliary hollow tube refractive index change and the auxiliary optical fiber refractive index change and with the first, second, third, and fourth differences being different from one another.